Social Media for Travel - Yondr.com

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:49:00 GMT

There is a social media site for every niche – from web design to animal lovers. Travel enthusiasts (and the Web marketers that love them, i.e. you) now have a new site to capture and share their travel experiences with the launch of Yondr which launched today.

I personally wonder whether the travel industry is ready for its own exclusive social media destination. According to industry analyst Compete however, user-generated content (UGC) will continue to influence travel planning, with two-thirds of consumers stating that UGC impacts their travel purchases. According to the study, 56% view UGC as credible, and more than 61% of Internet users say they trust and prefer consumer-generated media. Yondr hopes to fill the existing void by providing travelers with an interactive publishing platform for the travel industry. But will it?

The service launches in the 13 countries global partner Solimar International currently services throughout Africa, Asia, and South and Central America. “Travel is the ultimate industry to harness the power of online communities, and Yondr is the most comprehensive collection of travel-oriented social networking tools that we’ve ever seen,” said Chris Seek, President of Solimar International. “Yondr’s ability to go beyond 140 characters and offer ‘living, breathing’ interactive geo-tagged multimedia will significantly influence consumer decision-making and infuse new life into the travel industry. We’re eager to integrate Yondr into our international travel promotion campaigns.”

Is there really a demand for social media sites in the travel industry exclusively? “Consumer behavior is rapidly changing with the proliferation of online communities, and to date, the travel industry has not effectively leveraged or monetized this growing global trend,” said Sanjay Khurana, Yondr Co-founder and CEO. “With Yondr we aim to build a community of like-minded individuals that can share and relive their travel experiences in unique ways, while powering travel organizations with robust Web and mobile tools that more deeply engage their customers.”

'Net Features : yondr

Social Media for Travel - Yondr.com